Rohit Sharma delivered an explosive century, scoring 119 runs off 90 balls, marking his 32nd in One Day Internationals, which propelled India to a decisive four-wicket victory over England in the second ODI held in Cuttack. In pursuit of a challenging target of 305 runs, India benefited from Rohit’s outstanding performance and his partnership of 136 runs for the opening wicket with Shubman Gill, who contributed 60 runs off 52 balls. Additionally, Shreyas Iyer added 44 runs, while Axar Patel remained unbeaten on 41, helping the home team secure the win despite losing several wickets in the closing stages of the match.
England setup a decent target while batting first
England delivered a significantly enhanced performance with the bat compared to their initial ODI outing. Notable contributions came from Joe Root, who scored 69, and Ben Duckett, who added 65, while Liam Livingstone provided a brisk 41 runs, propelling England forward after Phil Salt was unable to capitalize on another promising start in the series. The visitors began strongly in the first ten overs, similar to their approach in Nagpur, but their momentum diminished against India’s spinners. Varun Chakaravarthy, making his ODI debut, was instrumental in breaking the opening partnership by dismissing Salt. He effectively curtailed the scoring, although it was Ravindra Jadeja who proved to be the most challenging bowler for England’s batsmen.
Jadeja, with his left-arm spin, consistently bowled in the right areas, varying his pace and lengths, and occasionally delivering balls that gripped and turned, deceiving the batsmen. He triumphed in his contest against Duckett, whose attempts to counter the spinner led to his dismissal. This allowed Jadeja, alongside fellow left-arm spinner Axar Patel, to bowl at the right-handed middle order of England without concern. Harry Brook faced difficulties in gaining momentum but managed to form a valuable 66-run partnership with Root, who remained the cornerstone of the innings. The Indian spinners restricted the run rate to such an extent that the fast bowlers eventually reaped the benefits.
Harshit Rana did allow a few boundaries to Brook, yet, reminiscent of the fourth T20I, he ultimately succeeded with a clever slower delivery, which was expertly caught by Gill at mid-off. Shortly thereafter, Buttler fell to pacer Hardik Pandya after being contained by the spinners. Throughout this period, Root batted with confidence, anchoring the innings. Livingstone and Root formed a useful partnership, as England aimed to surpass the 320-run threshold. However, Rohit Sharma’s strategy of reserving spin for the final ten overs proved effective, resulting in Jadeja dismissing Root in his second-to-last over.
The left-arm spinner dismissed Jamie Overton with the final delivery of his spell, a result of the all-rounder’s poor shot selection. This incident placed England at risk of another collapse during this tour. Nevertheless, Livingstone played a crucial innings, hitting several significant boundaries towards the end to enhance the visitors’ score. Rashid also contributed by hitting three consecutive boundaries off Mohammed Shami, ensuring that the efforts of Root and Duckett were not entirely in vain. However, the tourists might have surpassed the 320-330 mark had they exhibited greater awareness in their batting approach.
Rohit Sharma's blisterring knock help India clinch the ODI series
At the midpoint of the match, England’s score of 304 appeared to present a challenging target on a slow black-soil pitch, where the occasional delivery would stop unexpectedly off a hard length. Both spinners and slower deliveries proved difficult to handle. Nevertheless, as is often observed on black-soil surfaces, batting under lights tends to be comparatively easier. Rohit exemplified this notion as he quickly settled into his innings. His two sixes—one dispatched over deep square leg and the other over deep cover—demonstrated that the captain was fully engaged in the game. His assertive approach allowed Gill the luxury of playing at a more measured pace, although Gill also contributed with some remarkable shots.
India scored 77 runs in the first ten overs without losing any wickets, establishing a strong foundation for their chase. Despite the fielding restrictions easing, both openers continued to accumulate runs, with Rohit Sharma particularly excelling. During his impressive innings, he surpassed Chris Gayle to claim the second position on the all-time list of six-hitters in One Day Internationals. Although Adil Rashid found some turn, by the time he entered the attack, Rohit and Shubman Gill were so confident that they handled him with ease. The pitch also did not offer the same assistance to the ball as it had during England’s innings earlier in the day.
To disrupt the openers’ momentum, Jamie Overton delivered a brilliant yorker. Just prior to this, Gill had hit him for a powerful pull shot over mid-wicket, but Overton responded by outpacing Rohit with an exceptional delivery. This brought Virat Kohli to the crease, but the seasoned batsman struggled, managing only a beautiful on-drive for four while appearing uncomfortable against Rashid’s leg spin. Eventually, one of Rashid’s deliveries found Kohli’s edge, leading to a successful review by England for the crucial wicket.
This brief period of play provided the visitors with a glimmer of hope to regain control of the match. However, India was so far ahead in the chase that Rohit was able to adopt a more relaxed approach, allowing Shreyas Iyer to play conservatively in the following overs. The pair added 70 runs at a brisk rate of 61 balls, with Rohit remaining the more aggressive of the two. It appeared that they might complete the chase together until Rohit unexpectedly surrendered his wicket.
After striking the ball cleanly and dispatching several deliveries to the boundary, Rohit fell to a full toss, misplaying it towards mid-wicket after stepping out to meet the ball. Liam Livingstone capitalized on this opportunity, but the wicket came too late for England’s chances. Iyer then partnered with Axar Patel to continue India’s progress until Iyer was dismissed due to a careless run-out.
The final game of the series shall be played in Ahmedabad on February 12. Technically, it is a dead rubber in the context of this series but both sides will be keen to use that as a final opportunity before the Champions Trophy.
SCORECARD: England 304 in 49.5 overs (Joe Root 69, Ben Duckett 65; Ravindra Jadeja 3-35) lost to India 308/6 in 44.3 overs (Rohit Sharma 119, Shubman Gill 60; Jamie Overton 2-27) by four wickets.
